The charm of Matka is found in its changes. This is the source of its unfolding beauty and its resiliency to remain interesting from first note to last. It begins with the Lip Service brass trio of two trumpets & a French horn, then moves into the Sisu Brassland octet of three trumpets, two French horns, two trombones and a tuba before ending with the addition of a drummer-percussionist for added punch. And there’s an emotional transition that coincides with the personnel changes, too, as the trio’s opening sequence of stately, yet enthusiastic tunes moves into the octet’s seriously contemplative territory via an abundance of thick, warm harmonies to just sink right into, and then drawing to conclusion with a dramatic, celebratory tone when the percussionist adds his voice to the proceedings.

“Let It” and “Glimmerwaltz” sees the trio speaking with big voices while allowing a bit of silence to sink in. Though cut from the sound of today, the compositions present themselves as pieces that have the formality of age and tradition upon them. “Folk” accentuates this trait to an even greater degree.

When the personnel expands into an octet formation, the textures grow substantially thicker, and the emotional tone is one of greater depth. The introspective “Aluminous” has the weight and wisdom of a very old soul, “Swag” makes its point with some nifty manipulation of cadence and altered motion, and the tiny thrills of “The Wallfaller” is an example where more chefs in the kitchen can be a good thing.

The sense of drama gets seriously jacked up when drums enter the frame on “Dirty.” Even when they go with the lighter touch of percussion, that rhythmic component adds all kinds of liveliness to the somber brass tones. This effect is amplified on the very fun “Nostalgalistic,” with its cinematic intro and outro bookending a celebratory shake and bounce.

There’s plenty here to like, and definitely worth checking out.

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